One Artsy Mama's Honestly watch!

Posted, May 07, 2014

Below is a guest post by Amy Latta (aka One Artsy Mama). You can get her custom "Honestly" Watch here.
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Raise your hand if you love keeping it real! That's what it's all about over at One Artsy Mama. I'm Amy Latta, the mama behind the blog, and I'm passionate about sharing honest inspiration for everyday life. I love to share ideas for projects that are honestly doable {even if you're not especially "crafty"}, activities and crafts that are honestly teachable with your kids, and jewelry projects and fashion posts that are honestly wearable in real life. Most of us are looking for things that are pretty quick, affordable, and simple, and that's the kind of ideas I work hard to provide. But there's more.

The bottom line in the One Artsy Mama community is "honestly." You see, I realized some time ago that sometimes the images people see on blogs and Pinterest and the like were actually doing the opposite of inspiring them. The perfectly staged photos of immaculate homes, happy children, and delicious from-scratch meals were causing people to compare themselves and feel like they didn't measure up. Instead of feeling inspired, they felt defeated. So I wrote a post about it. About how what you see online is carefully curated and not always a reflection of things as they really are. I shared a photo of what my "office" really looked like at that moment...a hot mess. And I decided then and there that no matter what happens elsewhere, my blog and social community is going to be a place where we're all honest about who we are and what our lives are like, because the reality is, we're all in the same boat! One of my favorite things is when we play the #honestly game over on my Facebook page and share real moments from our day, like "honestly, it's noon and I'm still in my pajamas," or, "honestly, I'm on my fourth coffee of the day." Having this as the bottom line has changed everything. Now, we're keeping it real. We're encouraging each other. There's a feeling of authenticity and acceptance that you don't find everywhere. And I love it.

A few months ago, I decided it was time to take this idea and somehow represent it visually. But, I had no idea where to start. Then, one day during a snowstorm, our power went out. We couldn't use our electronics or do many of our favorite things, so my five year old son and I decided to play around with paint by flashlight. We pulled out his watercolor kit and both of us just spent some time playing around with the colors. I started painting hearts and filled a page with them. When the power came back on and I looked at my work, my eyes immediately went to a pink and orange heart I had created. Those have always been the signature colors of my blog, and somehow when I saw the heart, I knew it was right. I took a fine tip marker and wrote the word "honestly" up the side of it. Later, I created a pink and orange watercolor wash that I could use as a background for that heart when I wanted it on something other than plain white. That same week, I got an email from my friends at Modify talking about their Kickstarter campaign and the Mod-to-Order idea. They asked me if I could help spread the word, and they also asked me if I had any particular design I would like made into a watch. Immediately, I thought of my "honestly" heart. I sent them digital copies of the images, and they created something amazing.

This design means so much to me, because it's not just a painting, it's a reminder. Every time I glance at my wrist, I remember that I want to live authentically. Honestly. I remember that I'm not alone. I hope this design comes to mean something to you as well. Honestly is not just a word, I feel like it's a movement. People being real, encouraging and accepting each other. Will you join in?